


at least the moon is the same for both of us

by lilllac



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Romantic Friendship, they're both troublemakers and i love them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilllac/pseuds/lilllac
Summary: Rachel was a reminder that there was a good reason - a mortal as well as a divine one - to still be giving so much of himself in that war, even though Percy sometimes felt that he was handing over more parts of his soul than he would have remaining, in the end.(could be read as either platonic or romantic, it's up to you).
Relationships: Rachel Elizabeth Dare & Percy Jackson, Rachel Elizabeth Dare/Percy Jackson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	at least the moon is the same for both of us

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [at least least the moon is the same for both of us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27345715) by [lilllac](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilllac/pseuds/lilllac). 



> it's 2020 people can stop pretending perachel isn't cute 
> 
> english isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistakes to be surely found, and I hope it's still enjoyable. 
> 
> title taken from the song you, the ocean and me, by thalles

Sally liked Rachel, as simple as that. That alone should justify the way Percy found himself smiling, involuntarily, whenever he opened the door to his crowded little apartment and found her with her arms crossed and an arched eyebrow on the other side of the door.

But it was more than that, he knew. Rachel was welcomed into his home not only because Sally adored her, but because _Percy_ needed her. And it was selfish of him, he knew. It wasn’t fair to use Rachel as an outlet for the rest of his world, but before he could stop himself, he was covering the holes with paint stains and going to sleep dreaming of fiery hair to keep himself from having nightmares, however prophetic they might be.

When he was with Rachel, Percy was reminded of how much he liked the central station hot dog stand, how much he liked to watch the NFL reruns while lying on the couch with a shirt too big and how much he liked to just eat ice cream in front of the park, watching the clouds.

The world had not been made for people like him. But Rachel ... But Rachel might be different. Maybe she could find a little space for him, no matter how small.

And Percy would be happy with that, any space was better than the confines of his cabin, suffocated by the monsters and the prophecies of a world that had never been fair to him.

During the school year before the war, on one of their several escapades together, when Sally was snoring in her room and Rachel was climbing the fire escape stairs with a smile that made her cheeks red and a crazy sparkle in her emerald eyes, she had taken him to the beach in one of her dad's big cars, driving with the windows down and a seventies psychedelic rock songs playing on the radio.

Percy was almost absolutely sure that Rachel had no idea what band that was. But psychedelic rock songs from the seventies were part of her _aesthetics_. Just like vinyl records she had nowhere to play because her father refused to buy a record player, biodegradable hair bands she never wore and just left stacked on top of each other on her wrist, watermelon popsicles, and pastel blue jeans soiled with paint.

Psychedelic rock songs from the seventies were as much a part of Rachel's life as he was. In a natural way. Without her having to think about it too much. And it was nice to know that there was someone in this world who just wanted him around because she liked his voice and his water-green sweatshirts and the way he managed to rotate a pen between his fingers and a million other little details that no one else besides Rachel would never notice.

But she did. And maybe that was why Percy couldn't explain his smiles, after all.

Anyway, Rachel had taken him to the beach, taken a surfboard from the hood of the car, and, as was all things between them, Percy had guided her naturally and gently to what seemed like the middle of the ocean to her, and just the beginning for him. Rachel had never surfed before, which seemed outrageous to him, and while she trembled on the board like a frightened cat, Percy sank into the water to laugh without her noticing.

When he returned to the surface, she was sitting with her legs crossed. The moon reflected in mirrors in the water, dancing with his every move, and Percy swam to Rachel, placing his elbows on the board, his chin on one of her knees.

Rachel ran a hand through his hair, smiling. She had a lot of different smiles, and that wasn't even his favorite - _that_ place belonged to the small, sarcastic and defiant smile she gave him when Percy proposed something stupid that she was 100% willing to entertain - but he felt his chest tighten, seeing the dark blue of the ocean reflecting in her eyes.

All he could think was that it - she, the ocean, _them_ \- had a strange feeling of home.

For someone who liked his freedom so much, Percy had become quite used to the idea of an anchor. An anchor, and soft, gentle fingers that cleaned his wounds with cotton because she had no idea how _"that ambrosia stuff"_ worked, and paintings forgotten halfway done and marathons of old _cult_ films that Percy didn't even give himself the trouble of reading the subtitles, and escaping during the night and the feeling of the cold night air on his face as Rachel drove and from reading sessions, with his head lying on her lap listening to her voice.

Rachel was a reminder that there was a good reason - a mortal as well as a divine one - to still be giving so much of himself in that war, even though Percy sometimes felt that he was handing over more parts of his soul than he would have remaining, in the end.

Rachel was enough, enough that he always wanted to come home, no matter how far she seemed.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading, coments are always appreciated


End file.
